Under the pillow

Rustyt1953

Rustyt1953

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As I often like to do, I search old threads to glean what I can from them and rarely walk away empty handed.

During the last week, I noticed more than a few members advocating a loaded gun under their pillow as they slept.

It got me curious and upon further digging I noticed some things that weren't touched upon:

Empty chamber or loaded chamber?
If someone is sleeping next to you, that gun could be pointing at them.

Is the gun going to stay put?
A lot of us move our arms around quite a bit in our sleep so the gun may not be where you remember it.

After a TWD marathon, you could have a bad dream and grab it in a panic. (Remote but possible)

If you do sleep alone, the barrel could still be pointed towards a wall with a chance of the projectile passing into another room or outside.

I have never, ever maligned anyone's choice of weaponry, caliber, carry position, brand, frame composition or action preference. Free will and freedom of choice are blessings. So, this is not about any of that.

I would simply like to know the rationale behind this choice.

Gracias, amigos.
 
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Rustyt1953 said:
As I often like to do, I search old threads to glean what I can from them and rarely walk away empty handed.

During the last week, I noticed more than a few members advocating a loaded gun under their pillow as they slept.

It got me curious and upon further digging I noticed some things that weren't touched upon:

Empty chamber or loaded chamber?
If someone is sleeping next to you, that gun could be pointing at them.

Is the gun going to stay put?
A lot of us move our arms around quite a bit in our sleep so the gun may not be where you remember it.

After a TWD marathon, you could have a bad dream and grab it in a panic. (Remote but possible)

If you do sleep alone, the barrel could still be pointed towards a wall with a chance of the projectile passing into another room or outside.

I have never, ever maligned anyone's choice of weaponry, caliber, carry position, brand, frame composition or action preference. Free will and freedom of choice are blessings. So, this is not about any of that.

I would simply like to know the rationale behind this choice.

Gracias, amigos.
Click to expand...

Long time back I tried it for a couple nights and figured that was not for me!

My cousin who was a Marine Master Sergent in his 3 tours of Vietnam sleep like that, but said it was a In Rome do as the Romans do type of situation. He did not recommend it during more normal places or situations!
 
Rusty, I think your provoking thought and I cant see any rational in any of those. My first gun was placed under my pillow and you are right. Every morning it was never in the same place. Either I pushed it with my arm or worse shoved it off the bed completely and it hit the floor and woke me up. What the **LL moment. I started putting it between the mattresses and it stayed that way for years until after I was married my mother in law was changing the sheets and found it. As shocked as she was, I decided to just mount a gun vault on the side of my night stand and it seems to be the happiest there and not bothering anyone and I can still get to it fast enough.:D
 
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It's one of those things that sounds like a good idea until you put some thought into it.

I toss and turn in my sleep quite a bit, so more than likely a gun under my pillow wouldn't just be in a different position, but possibly knocked onto the floor.

I recall reading about a police officer who kept her Glock under her pillow and ended up shooting herself in the head. The story could be an urban myth, but there's enough plausibility for me to say that putting a loaded gun under my pillow would not be a good idea.

My 642 is my "quick reaction" gun. At night it's on my nightstand in a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster. The holster keeps me from inadvertently putting my finger in the trigger guard when I grab it. I can unholster the gun quickly with one hand if necessary using a little downward pressure since the Nemesis has very little retention. If I wasn't able to get the gun out and picked up the holster, too, a quick shake of the hand and the holster falls off. I keep a good flashlight as well as my cell phone on my nightstand, too.

I also have a Beretta 92FS close at hand, but it requires a bit more effort to get to (by design).

More importantly, I do what I can to layer security to give me as much time as possible to assess whatever situation caused me to wake up in the first place.
 
I tried keeping a gun under my pillow for a short time when I was young and single. It made me sleep uneasy. I was afraid I might have a vivid dream, and do something stupid in my sleep. Now, I have to be awake enough to roll over within an arm's length reach to open the dresser drawer before I can get my hands on my HD pistol. My k-9 early warning system will give me plenty notice if someone is sneaking around our place. For personal safety, I'd never go back to placing a firearm under a pillow on my bed. Besides, my wife wouldn't tolerate it ;)
 
I keep Chuck Norris under my pillow

I think for the most part it's just a saying that means I keep a gun very close by.

I like a pillow under my gun
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Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
 
Another YMMV. Long reply follows - I think I can easily justify a gun under my pillow but it takes an explanation.

I have kept a revolver under my pillow for many years. I used to keep my revolver on the floor next to my bed (no nightstand - but I did have a nightstand years ago and kept a revolver in it and it is NOT FAST ENOUGH). One night my pre-alarm went off (high pitched whistle, not the siren) and when it woke me my hand shot down to the ground, I picked up the revolver that was there, spun around and up, and stood up. The whistle would go for 40 seconds before the alarm went off so I walked quietly to my bedroom door, heard nothing, poked my head around, nothing, walked down the hall, silenced the alarm, and stood there..........nothing. What set it off? I really do not know. So I caught my breath, realizing that nothing was amiss, and got a drink of water and trotted off back to bed.

As I placed the gun back on the floor I laughed to myself, thinking, "Self, wow, you were fast!!!". :)

That was about 20 years ago.

Since that time I got a new bed and, lo and behold, I discovered that it was several inches higher than my old bed and I couldn't reach the gun on the floor anymore. Easy decision - I put the gun under my pillow. Never thought twice about it.

Now, some details.

First, even on the floor the revolver was not loose, it was in an unzipped gun rug. Reaching down and flipping the case open was easy, as described above.

Second, even under my pillow, the wheelie is not loose. It sits safely ensconced in an unzipped gun rug. I am a fairly solid sleeper and I always sleep on the right side of the bed. usually on my side, sometimes on my back, and the gun is under the pillow to my left. Since there is ZERO chance of my sticking my right hand under my pillow there is ZERO chance of my accidentally touching the gun and even before I could touch it I would be touching the case and that unusual item touching my fingers at night would surely wake me. Moreover, due to the cloth case, it will not be shifting around. Too much friction from sheets and pillowcases. Therefore, despite negative comments to the contrary from other Forum members, I am perfectly happy keeping a revolver under my pillow.

Notice I keep saying revolver. I just trust them more than automatic pistols, especially if I am groggy and barely awake. Adrenaline will get me there quickly enough but then I still want that nice revolver trigger (presently, it is a 3" 686+, before you ask ;) ).

I think it is pretty clear that I do not routinely have anyone next to me but that is not always the case. At such times I remove the gun from under the pillow and put it on the floor. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do!!! :rolleyes:
 
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I'd be constantly.....

I'd be constantly picking it up off the floor and from under the bed. I have to CONSCIOUSLY open the drawer and pull out the gun.

I also have some sleep problems and am often confused and my first impression with is often mistaken until I'm really awake.

If I knew that somebody was after me, I might do different.

One of the forensic shows I watched had a husband killed when his wife touched the gun that was in the bed. Yeah.....right.
 
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